Second Battle of the Java Sea

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Battle of the Java Sea (II)
Part of World War II, Pacific War
HMS Exeter sinking
Date March 1, 1942 Location Java Sea Result Japanese victory
Belligerents
Royal Navy United States Navy	Imperial Japanese Navy
Commanders
Oliver Gordon	Takeo Takagi Ibo Takahashi
Strength
1 heavy cruiser 2 destroyers	4 heavy cruisers 5 destroyers
Casualties and losses
1 heavy cruiser sunk 2 destroyers sunk	1 destroyer heavily damaged

v • d • e Pacific campaigns 1940–42 French Indochina – Thailand – Malaya – Pearl Harbor – Hong Kong – Philippines – Guam – Wake – Dutch East Indies – New Guinea – Singapore – Australia – Indian Ocean – Doolittle Raid – Solomons – Coral Sea – Midway

Dutch East Indies campaign 1941-42 Borneo 1941-42 – Manado – Tarakan 1942 – Balikpapan 1942 – Ambon – Makassar Strait – Palembang – Badung Strait – Timor – 1st Java Sea – Sunda Strait – Java – 2nd Java Sea

The Second Battle of the Java Sea was the last naval action of the Netherlands East Indies campaign, of 1941-42. It occurred on 1 March 1942, two days after the first Battle of the Java Sea. It saw the end of the last Allied ships operating in the waters around Java, allowing Japanese forces to complete their conquest of the Netherlands East Indies unhindered.

[edit] Background

The American-British-Dutch-Australian Command fleet defeated at the first battle, on 27 February 1942 had been dispersed or sunk by the Japanese.

HMAS Perth and USS Houston had retired to Tanjong Priok, the port of the capital, Batavia, in the west of the island. They were to withdraw via the Sunda Strait to Tjilatjap on the south of the island and departed on the evening of 28 February; but encountering the Japanese Western Invasion Force later that night in Bantam Bay, they were both sunk. This is referred to as the battle of Sunda Strait.

HMS Exeter , severely damaged in the battle, had withdrawn to Surabaya in the east, escorted by the Dutch destroyer HNLMS Witte de With. There she was joined by HMS Encounter, which arrived with the survivors from the HNLMS Kortenaer. Also at Surabaya were the four US destroyers of Destroyer Squadron (Des Ron) 58, which had also withdrawn there from the battle, and the USS Pope , which had been undergoing repairs.

On 28 February, after nightfall, the USS John D. Edwards, USS John D. Ford, USS Alden, and USS Paul Jones, of DesRon 58 departed for Australia via the Bali Strait; after a brief encounter with a Japanese destroyer they arrived safely at Fremantle on 4 March.

After emergency repairs Exeter also left for further repairs in Ceylon, leaving at dusk on 28 February, and escorted by Encounter and Pope. Witte de With was unable to leave,due to mechanical trouble, and was later bombed and sunk at Surabaya on 2 March.

As the Exeter had too much draught for the Bali Strait, it was decided to go via Sunda Strait, which was thought still open; the morning of 1 March found the three Allied ships northwest of Bawean island, heading westwards. The ships were making 23 knots, as much as Exeter could manage.

[edit] The battle

At 4am on 1 March ships were sighted to the west; being in no fit state for a battle, Exeter and her consorts reversed course, turning northwest to avoid contact.

More ships were sighted at 0750, bearing southwest; again the Allied ships had to alter course to avoid them.

At 0935, two heavy cruisers were sighted approaching from the south; these were Nachi and Haguro of the Eastern Invasion Force with three destroyers, under Admiral Takeo Takagi, whom they had met two days previously at the battle of the Java Sea.

Exeter and the destroyers turned northeast and increased speed, but soon sighted more ships approaching from the northwest; this was Admiral Ibo Takahashi with two more heavy cruisers, Ashigara and Myoko, with two destroyers.

Closing in on either side of the fleeing Allied ships, the cruisers opened fire at 1020 as they came in range.

Encounter and Pope responded by making smoke, and later attempted a torpedo attack, while Exeter returned fire, but at 1120 Exeter sustained a major hit in her boiler room, resulting in a loss of power and slowing her to 4 knots. As the four Japanese cruisers closed in on Exeter, Encounter and Pope were ordered to make all speed for a nearby rain squall, in an attempt to shake off pursuit; wracked by gunfire, Exeter was brought to a standstill, and the destroyer Inazuma closed in for a torpedo attack. Exeter sank at 1140, 50 miles south of Borneo.

The cruisers switched their attention to the fleeing destroyers; Encounter was quickly hit by 8 inch shell fire and sunk, but Pope was able to reach the rain squall and was lost to sight.

The respite was short-lived, however; shortly after noon she was spotted by planes from the carrier Ryujo, which was covering the Western Invasion Force; she was dive-bombed and sunk around 1250.

There were just over 800 survivors altogether; these were picked up and imprisoned by the Japanese.

In the aftermath of the battle, the surviving Allied ships had dispersed to find safe haven, but as Java had been invaded by the Japanese, it became necessary to retire further.

[edit] References

• Stephen Roskill: The War at Sea 1939-1945 Vol II (1956 ) ISBN (none)

• Samuel Eliot Morison : History of United States Naval operations in World War II : Vol III The Rising Sun in the Pacific (1948 ) ISBN (none)

• Eric Groves : Sea Battles in Close-Up WWII Vol 2 (1993) ISBN 07110 2118 X

• Donald MacIntyre : The Battle for the Pacific (1966 ) ISBN (none)